Charlie adores crossing railroad tracks while driving, and I’m pretty certain he knows where every track crossing in Boulder, if not Larimer, County is. “Go this way, mama, this way!” “Here comes another one!” (And I’ve yet to see any signs or tracks, but lo and behold, there is one!) Yesterday he asked me to make the choo-choo come and I told him I couldn’t just make it happen. He said, “I could make the choo-choo come if I had a screwdriver.” (Several days ago he could do it with a stepstool. He’s clearly improving his tool choices.) Then he muttered off something to the effect that he’d get behind the choo-choo, turn the screwdriver, and it would come.

C: I’m going get you some coffee, mama. Here it is. [Exits car and walks to me with open hand] Is it yummy?
K: Yes, it’s delicious. Thank you.
C: I’ve got some gas for you, mama. I’ve got some gas. Now I get out of the car. [Exits car] I brought some gas for you. [Hands me pretend gas, because that's how we get gas of course] Now I’m going to get back in the car. I’m going to get back in the car. [Sits back down in it] Oh my goodness, there’s me in the car.
K: [Typing away...doesn't say anything. Whoops. Bad mom, ignoring child while documenting his life.]
C: [Turns key] Look Mama. Can you do that noise? Can you do that noise?
K: That’s pretty cool!
C: [Drives away] Mama, I’m going to honk the horn for you. Honk, honk. [Pushes horn]
K: Thanks, honey.
C: [Drives into another room...I believe headed to the grocery store given what follows]
K: Hello again!
C: Hi mama. I was driving the car. I was driving the car and… Look what I have for you…I have some red peppers. x3.
K: Thanks, Charlie. I like red peppers.
C: That is red peppers.
K: They are spicy.
C: They are spicy. Mama, do you want to get in my car?
K: I’m too big.
C: I put my feet in and then I go “wooooo” [while pushing car].
K: I can’t do it, sweetie.
C: Mama, can you put your hand in right here?
K: OK, sweetie.
C: I can ride in it like this [now backwards in car]. I am a little too big, but I can do it. Whoa. whooooaaaa. Look, mama. I’m backwards.
K: [Left to take pictures, no longer able to type]
C: [Exited car. Moved on to another new toy, "Muziek TV", given by a dear Dutch friend]

I need to learn how to type faster!

Charlie’s own language skills continue to explode, with little surprises on a daily basis. He’s starting to pose his own arguments and make more sophisticated requests. I tell him no and he says, “Mama, did you hear my answer? I said yes.” Harry installed a new ceiling fan today; Charlie asked, “Can I have a ceiling fan in my bedroom?”

The mistakes are getting funnier, too. He’s really into using “cause” (short for because) lately, and his conditional clauses are often reversed and sometimes expanded. “I was hungry cause I eat strawberries cause I was hungry.” “I was cold cause I was crying.” “I fell down cause I got an owie.”

Finally, I write this so as to not forget about it in ten years, I love that Charlie is making up his own songs. He’s mostly inserting his own lyrics into familiar tunes, but sometimes makes his own harmonies, too. These songs are usually about food, sung while he waits for something to arrive on the table in front of him. And they’re often just a word or two, like “blueberry, blueberry, blueberry, blueberry.” Maybe someone taught him the watermelon trick already.

Harry’s maternal grandmother, Gretchen Tadlock, passed away this weekend, just days after her 82nd birthday. Harry is with his family in Louisiana for her memorial service tomorrow. I am really sad to not be there, but thankful we get to visit for a cousin’s wedding over Labor Day weekend. We are so sad that MawMaw won’t get to see Charlie during that visit. She would’ve adored him at this age and I think he would’ve loved many of her antics. I think she would’ve made him laugh and have no doubts he would’ve charmed her.

The part of Charlie that reminds me 100% of the Tadlocks is a piece of his personality that usually comes out at dinnertime. He completely lets his guard down and tells silly stories, makes faces and enjoys his company. After Harry and I became engaged, the Tadlocks threw a lovely party for us. Afterwards, MawMaw and some of her children and grandchildren played cards, all the while teasing each other and having a great time. I knew I was in for fun. I absolutely adored this playful aspect of the family and was charmed and entertained by MawMaw’s continuous attempts to change the card game rules while her sons lovingly kept her true.

So, MawMaw, this video is for you. Charlie’s telling Steve, Harry and I made-up stories while we eat dinner. We wish he could’ve told you some in September. We will miss you!

charlies-dinner-stories2

One of yesterday’s diaper changing conversations

Charlie: “Penis, mama!”

Me: “Yes, that’s your penis.”

Charlie: “Mama doesn’t have a penis.”

Me: “Nope, I don’t.  I’m a girl.  Boys have penises, girls have vaginas.”  (By now you get that we aren’t into the nicknames…just call them what they are!)

Charlie: “Girls have tiny penises.”

I busted up laughing, so I imagine he’ll say this again.  Oops.  Hopefully it won’t be at some fancy party.  We have so many of those to attend, you know.

Naked Playtimes

“Look, mama!  Charlie’s penis in the choo choo.”  And yes, I find him doing just such with a toy train car.

Potty Fun

After Charlie uses his little potty he gets to use toilet paper and put it in the big potty, with a final reward of getting to flush.  Lately he’s been saying “toilet paper going down the big white slide!”

• Papa, Mama
• Pawpaw, Mimi
• Grandmaw, Grandpaw
• Grammy Ellen, Grandpaw Jud
• Uncle Steve
• kitty cat
• monkey
• dinosaur
• light
• bed
• Uncle Steve’s bed
• Mama and Papa’s bed
• Elvis (his sock monkey)
• choo choo
• a few other things I didn’t understand

Given that the incantation probably would have gone on into the night had there been more time, consider yourself prayed for and healed.

Our little boy is two.  We are so amazed by this.  We are also continuously blessed by his presence.

Yesterday morning the first thing he did was push his rocking horse from the family room to our bedroom while we were still in bed.  He could play, we could rest.  We’d all still be together.

A few mornings ago, the first thing he said was “Mama and Charlie eat Dutch babies and raspberries and blueberries.”  I believe this was his breakfast request.

While boarding our return flight on Tuesday we crossed paths with the pilot.  Charlie kept saying “pilot” over and over again, much to the pilot’s and flight attendants’ delight.  They invited him into the cockpit.

He still loves the robot game and now his other animals are playing along.  Instead of “I am a robot, I’m going to be a helicopter” we’re getting, “I am a monkey, I’m going to wear a hat” but still with a robotic voice.

We are smitten.  It’s been a good two years.

As part of a Thomas Nelson Publishers marketing promo, I agreed to read The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield.  Their deal is simple: write a review of our books and we’ll give you them free.  I thought I’d give it a try since I am such a big Obama fan.  About five pages into this book, I regretted this decision.  I read this book in October.  I have procrastinated this long because the book is that bad.  I can’t say it nicely.  Do not waste your time.  Spend your time reading Obama’s books.  There you will receive much better writing and the original content.  Essentially, Mansfield summarizes Obama’s books and various speeches.  He quotes from them constantly.  (I would end it there, but the other part of the deal is that the reviews need to be at least 200 words.  Argh.  This is not fun.  Maybe I should keep procrastinating.)

This is one of many of Stephen Mansfield’s books on Presidential candidates.  If this particular book had any original material in it, apart from his poorly done attempts to throw his opinion into matters, I might imagine that he was a historian at heart.  I must admit, though, I am skeptical of his intentions for writing these books.  I would rather put money in Obama’s pocket.